Crackdown on Anglophone ‘terrorists’:

Ayah Paul to join Balla, Fontem&Mancho in Kondengui?

The Advocate general of the Supreme Court of Cameroon was reportedly kidnapped on Saturday, at his Tam-Tam Week-end residence in Yaounde, by security agents. Saturday’s arrest was made after Ayah had earlier on Thursday snubbed a summons from the commissioner of government at the Yaounde Military Tribunal and turned away agents of the national gendarmerie who were commissioned to get him sign the summons.

By Ayukogem Steven Ojong in Yaounde

Ayah Paul Abine, Supreme Court Advocate General and leader of 

opposition Popular Action Party PAP

Advocate general of the Supreme Court of Cameroon, Ayah Paul Abine, has finally been arrested in Yaounde. The senior magistrate and political leader and activist was forcefully arrested Saturday at his residence in Tam-Tam weekend quarters here. We learnt that Ayah’s wife who tried to hold back the security agents from taking her husband was also bundled along with her husband.

                By press time yesterday we could not immediately get the charges brought against Ayah. But speculations are that his arrest may not be unconnected to his role in the ongoing Anglophone struggle.

                It is understood that though Ayah has hardly joined Anglophone federation advocates and secessionists during their demonstrations on the streets, his several interviews with news outlets and especially his postings on facebook lend credence to accusations that he is an avowed advocate for

                Facebook lend credence to talk that he is an avowed Anglophone freedom fighter. Besides, Ayah had at one point been tipped by secessionists to take over the leadership of the SCNC after the organization’s emblematic chairman, EtteOtunAyamba, passed on several years ago. Even though Ayah would eventually not become the chairman of SCNC, he however stated that he sympathized with the ideology of the group, even if he was not one of its members.

                Ayah had earlier on Thursday 19 January refused to heed a summons from the military judge for him to show up on Friday at 11am for interrogation at the national gendarmerie headquarters (SED) in Yaounde. Ayah told two gendarme officers who presented him with the summons that their boss, the commissioner of government at the military tribunal, had no legal authority to summon him for any reason, only his (Ayah’s) departmental head at the Supreme Court has the powers to do so.

                When Ayah was presented with the summons at his Supreme Court office, he told his interlocutors that he was sorry he could not go with them. Ayah asked the gendarme officers to go back and tell their boss to respect the law.

                We gathered that when the gendarme agents reported to their boss that Ayah had refused to comply, the Commissioner of Government (Examining Magistrate) at the military tribunal on Friday called Ayah directly, urging him to present himself or he would simply be forcefully picked up. s

                But an adamant Ayah still did not yield to the threats and intimidations from the commissioner of government at the Military Tribunal. Ayah instead referred his interlocutor to go back to his books and read where it is said that the judiciary in Cameroon is hierarchized and that the law does not permit a professional junior to summon his hierarchical senior for questioning.

                In what could be interpreted as admitting his error and in a very soft and polite tone, the government commissioner at the military tribunal reportedly promised Ayah that all laid down legal requirements would be put together by Monday so that Ayah can present himself before the judge as requested. But surprisingly, Ayah is arrested on Saturday.

                By press time yesterday we could not confirm where he had been whisked off to. But some sources said he was taken to the National Gendarmerie Headquarters (SED), from where he would be taken to the military court and told his charge(s) before his eventual transfer to the Kondengui prison.

                The Median learnt also that following Ayah’s arrest on Saturday, one if not his closest collaborator, Akonson Raymond, immediately vamoosed into hiding. Akoson had told reporters by phone that Ayah will not heed any summons from the Gendarmerie. Like his boss Ayah, Akoson held that Ayah can only be heard by a judge superior in grade than him, and not a military prosecutor who is below him on the judicial ladder. Ayah is a fourth grade magistrate of the highest category.

                Recall that few weeks ago, Ayah composed a team of Anglophone elites – what he called the English Cameroon Authority, to play a supporting role to the Consortium in talking the Anglophone problem with government.

                Also, Ayah has for long been a thorn in the flesh of the Biya regime. He resigned from the ruling CPDM to challenge President Paul Biya in the 2011 Presidential Election; he emerged fifth out of the 23 candidates in the election. Ayah was also the sole CPDM MP to challenge the revision of the constitution in 2008 to enable Biya to prolong his stay in power.

                So, though Ayah has since been walking freely, it was understood that Biya was looking for the most opportune moment to rope him. It appears the present Anglophone agitations has presented Biya that golden opportunity to silence Ayah once and may be for all.

                When Ayah got the summons from the military judge, he wrote on his facebook page: “The struggle will continue till the end!!!”. With his present arrest, that end is now a matter of wait and see.

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